Home is where the Pain is
by missathlete2131
Summary: A little AU- An hour before his shift is scheduled to start, Hank Stanley is woken up from a phone call from his C-Shift captain, his engineer and best friend Mike Stoker is parked in the parking lot of the station, fast asleep with bruises and blood on his face. It is up to the A-Shift captain and the rest of Station 51 to help their friend in his time of need before its too late.
1. Chapter 1

**I've only just started getting into this show but I really like it. Especially for a show that was popular a few decades before I was born! But regardless here is my attempt on a Stoker story with some Hank-Mike friendship.**

 **I don't own anything of Emergency**

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Captain Henry "Hank" Stanley had an hour left to sleep before his shift when the phone rang. His wife Suzanne nudged him softly from her side of the bed, mumbling as she turned over about who on earth would call at this time at night. Taking a look at his clock, Hank saw it was only a little past 4am, and instantly his worry was peaked. He reached for the phone hastily and tried to sound like he wasn't just fast asleep a few minutes ago. "Stanley" he spoke briskly.

"Hank, its O'Keefe," came the voice of the C-Shift captain, "I'm sorry to wake you but we have a situation.

Captain Stanley was wide awake now, "Situation? What kind of situation?"

"It's your engineer Hank, he's here. We were out on a run and when we came back we found his car in the parking lot. He's asleep in there and looks a little beat up from what I can see. Hell if I didn't see his chest rising and falling I would have called an ambo, it shocked me so much. We haven't woken him yet, didn't want to startle him. Damn Hank, Stoker always seems like such a cool and calm guy, sure gave us a scare."

"He looked beat Jim" Hank wanted to curse his voice for sounding so shaky. Yes Michael Stoker was probably the best damn engineer he ever had the privilege to work with, and this from a former engineer himself, but he was more than that, he was also Hank's best friend at the station. The two were always hanging out together and Mike had even been named Courtney's godfather, he was such a beloved person in the Stanleys' lives. To hear that he was hurt in any way made Hank's heart skip a few beats and he struggled to compose himself enough to get a clear picture of what he was walking into. "How bad Jim?"

"Definitely seems like he took a shot or two to the nose and eye" the C-Shift captain explained cautiously, "Can't see much else. You want me to wake him?"

"No" Hank spoke honestly, "I'm heading over now but when I get there-" his sentence was interrupted by the sirens going off.

"Sorry Hank, got to go. I'll see you soon." O'Keefe hung up quickly and Captain Stanley wasted no time and headed right towards his bathroom.

"Is everything alright honey?" his wife asked, rising up from the bed with a concerned face.

"Suze honey, everything's okay, head on back to sleep. I just need to head to the station a little early."

"Who was beaten?" she asked softly, her voice shaking a little as she watched her husband rush to dress. "Hank? What's going on?"

The Cap knew his wife was coming from a place of concern and though he hated to worry her, he knew she would never let him leave without spilling. "It's Mike, honey. Jim from C-Shift said he's in his car in the parking lot fast asleep with a black eye and a bleeding nose."

"What!"

"I know. I'm heading there now, I'm sure he's fine" he added quickly, though in his own head he was having a hard time believing it.

"Do you think it has to do with Tricia?" Suzanne almost spat the last word, her distain for the other woman so evident; Hank almost would have grimaced if he didn't hate Tricia just as much. Tricia Stoker was Mike's wife of a very long six years. Though when they first met, Hank and Suzanne were both happy for the young engineer, after spending some time with the young blonde from Orange County, the Stanley's felt as though Tricia's love was not as genuine as Mike's. When Tricia announced her pregnancy, Mike immediately proposed, intent on doing the right thing for his now growing family. When their healthy baby boy came into the world looking exactly like his father, Hank and Suzanne gave a relieved sigh, convinced that perhaps Tricia was not faithful. Instead she waited until her little boy was about four months and then she began her cheating. She was always out with other men and Mike being the stoic man that he was, refused to comment in fear of Tricia taking his son away and never letting him see him. So now five years later, Mike Stoker comes home to a wife who hates him and is unfaithful but to a little boy named after himself who he loves more than anything. He dotes on his son for anything and while he has never and will never cheat on Tricia while they are married for the sake of his own beliefs, it is clearly not easy on the poor man. The men at station 51 all know about Mike's home situation and though they don't openly comment on it to Mike, they always provide whatever they can for him. Recently, Mike has come to work and shared with Hank that Tricia has been seeing stranger men, who seem almost dangerous and how he is concerned for what little Mikey must see at the house. Captain Stanley continually pushes his engineer to think about divorce but he knows that the mother most likely will get custody and that will kill poor Mike.

Hank was taken out of his thoughts by his wife's now angry look. "No Tricia has never been violent physically, Suze you know that."

"It's not her, I'm worried about. It's whatever stupid guy she's brought back to rub in Mike's face. Oh the poor guy!" Hank had finished dressing and was grabbing his keys. "Honey call me the minute everything calms down and tell Mike if he needs a place to stay he can always come here."

Hank smiled at his wife and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I will Suze, thank you. I love you." He grabbed his keys and headed out the door until he stopped suddenly and headed back into the room. "What's wrong?" his wife asked watching her husband coming back. Hank reached for the phone and dialed the familiar number quickly. He waited two rings and was met by his tired senior paramedic's hello. "Roy, its Captain Stanley. I need you to get to the station a little earlier today if you can." He waited to hear Roy's reply which was of course agreement but then concern for what was going on. "It's Mike Roy, I think something might have happened. Can I count on you to meet me?" He listened to Roy explain that Johnny was at his house too, his apartment had lost power for the weekend. "Bring him along too if you can get him up" Cap remarked and then he smiled. "Thanks Roy, see you soon." He hung up.

"That was smart to call Roy." Suzanne observed from the edge of the bed.

"It's just a precaution." He explained, kissing his wife one last time on the lips and then finally heading fully out the door. "I'll call you soon" he called as he hurried out of the house.

* * *

Captain Stanley was sure he made the trip to the station in record time but it still felt too slow. As he pulled into the parking lot and saw Mike's car, he was relieved to see that C-Shift had not returned yet. At least it would offer him some privacy with his engineer at first. He walked over to Mike's truck calmly and took a glance inside. There was his young engineer, asleep with some dried blood on his face and a blackened eye but he could hear his heavy breathing from outside the car and he was happy to see no other major injuries from his spot through the window. He crack some knuckles on the window pane and was unsurprised to see the light sleeper jump in alarm and look around. Stoker found his Cap staring at him and he struggled to offer a weak smile before hitting the unlock button on his driver side door. Hank climbed into the passenger seat and stared at his engineer in concern. Now inside the captain could see the way, Mike was bracing his ribs and his stomach. They must be hurt too. "Mike" he began but the engineer cut him off in an uncharacteristic show of wanting to talk.

"I'm guessing Captain O'Keefe called you huh?" the engineer watched as his captain nodded. He shrugged "I thought I heard people outside the car before, should have known they would see me over here. I'm sorry Cap that he called you, I just didn't know where else to go."

"What happened Mike?"

The engineer sighed painfully and exhaustedly, "Tricia and I had a fight." When he offered no more, Hank tried to push, "Did she- did she do this to you Mike?"

"Tricia? No Cap, I'm not that pitiful of a man" he tried to joke but there was no humor in his blackened eyes. "She brought that guy back, the one who seems a little unstable. Well turns out he is a lot unstable and I came home after dropping little Mikey at his friend's for a sleepover to find them in the bedroom. I shouldn't have instigated, I should have left then and there but I was angry and banged on the door telling the guy to get the hell out of my house. The guy got annoyed and took a swing but he was so drunk that I was able to push him away and head upstairs to the guest room to just avoid them until I could pack some things and leave. What I wasn't expecting was his whole gang to come over with baseball bats and brass knuckles and take them to my stomach and face."

"Mike!"

"I know Cap, it sounds bad but would it make you feel better if I told you to see the other guys?" Hank didn't look pleased at his engineers attempt at humor. He cleared his throat roughly and waited until Mike glanced over to him. "Mikey, Pal, are you alright?" he asked concern dripping in his voice as he placed a comforting hand on his friend's arm.

Mike nodded slowly, "I held my own Cap, don't worry. A few off them scattered when I knocked them to the ground and then when the numbers weren't in their favor anymore the rest left as well. They were all drunk bikers. I ran downstairs ready to leave and saw her with him again. He was smirking triumphantly and all I wanted to do was just punch him right in that smirk so I did. I know it was stupid of me but that jerk deserved it! Tricia screamed and tried to claw at me but I grabbed my keys and raced over here. I know I shouldn't have fought them, it was stupid but I was angry and wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry Cap."

Mike looked down in shame and Hank fought the urge to tell his engineer they should go back to his house and beat the guy more but that wasn't the example the young man needed, instead he took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Mike, you don't have to apologize to me, you stood up for yourself, I'm proud of you."

The younger man looked up in surprise, "but, but I was reckless and stupid. Hell I pulled a Gage, throwing myself into a dangerous situation without thinking! Those men could have been armed; I could have been really hurt."

"Yes," Captain Stanley nodded, "you could have been _more_ hurt" He emphasized the word more and made sure his engineer was listening. "Don't downplay those injuries Stoker; I see the way you're holding those ribs." He softened his voice as the younger man grimaced as he shifted uncomfortably. "But Mike, you did what you had to do. Again, I'm not mad at you. Not even for getting me into work an hour early, I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thank Cap, it means a lot."

Captain Stanley was almost ready to get the man to discuss his future options when their heart to heart was interrupted by Roy DeSoto and John Gage running up to the car. Roy took one look in through the glass and grimace at the sight of his friend's face. "Mike" the senior paramedic called, "you alright?"

Mike opened his door slowly and gingerly stepped out. Johnny offered him a hand and helped the man towards the fire station. Captain Stanley noticed the engineer favoring his left leg and shot a look to his team of paramedics. Roy returned the glance with a worried look of his own and ran to Mike's other side. He took a gentle hand to Mike's nose and frowned. "I think it's broken" he announced.

"Oh it's definitely broken" Mike reasoned as he winced at Roy's touch. "It bled a lot before."

"Can you see out both eyes Mike?" the paramedic continued his examination taking a penlight from his pocket and shinning it towards his friend's eyes.

Mike nodded, "Yeah Roy I can see, they got a bit more swollen from before but I can still see out of them."

"Damn Pally," Johnny was looking the man up and down. "What did you do, get into a fight?" He started to laugh a little until he saw the look Mike gave the captain. "Wait, you did? What? Stoic Stoker got into a fight? Oh man! Chet is never going to believe this!"

"Junior" Roy warned as he looked around the engineer's head for any sign of concussion. "Any nausea Mike? Dizziness?"

"No Roy. No shots to the head, just the face." Roy nodded but he still continued to look. He didn't seem convinced.

"Stoker?" Gage's curiousity was too peaked to let this go, "what the hell happened? We you at a bar or something?"

"It's just a little fight, Johhny, don't tell me you never got into one."

"Well no," the dark haired paramedic looked to be thinking, "I can't say I have. Very few people want to punch this good looking face if you know what I mean!"

"Gage" cautioned the Captain and Johnny's smile disappeared as he went back to helping Mike limp across the parking lot.

"I can walk, you guys don't need to-"

"Save it Stoker" Hank called out coming up behind them to get the door for the station. "Let them help."

Once inside, Roy and Johnny placed the man gently on the couch then each ran to get their supplies. Meanwhile Hank took a seat across from his engineer. "That knee" he motioned to Mike's right pant leg which seemed to be stretched wider than the left.

"Oh yeah" the man spoke sheepishly, "they got a shot to my kneecap when I was turned around. Did I forget to say that?"

"Yeah I think you did there Pally." Mike smiled at his captain's affectionate yet worried tone. "I'm alright Hank" he murmured softly, not used to calling the captain by his first name while at work. "You don't need to worry."

"Yeah well," Hank threw him a small smile, "I'll let Roy and John be the judges of that."

As if on cue, both paramedics came back with their first aid kits, drug box, and biophone. "Well hang on a minute" the engineer tried to sit up and argue, "It's just some bumps and bruises. No need for all that."

"Humor us" Roy deadpanned as he motioned for Mike to lie back once more. Johnny meanwhile was rolling up Stoker's pant leg to expose the severely swollen and multi-colored knee. "Whoa" the younger paramedic whistled, "you sure did a number on this." He probed it gently and looked to see Mike grimace silently. "Mike what did they hit you with?"

Mike was saved from answering right away as Roy was helping him remove his shirt. Once the thin black shirt was removed, Hank, Roy and Johnny couldn't help but gasp at the huge welts along their engineer's torso. They could see where each impact was on his sternum and from the bruises that gathered in dark purples and reds; they could also see which ribs were most likely broken.

"Damn It Stoker," the captain grumbled as he turned away from the sight, his anger beginning to rise.

Roy took a tentative hand to Mike's abdomen. "A bat?" he asked softly, though he already knew the answer. Mike merely nodded from his place on the couch earning another impressive whistle from Johnny. "How many guys? Roy asked as started getting more supplies from the box.

"12" came the soft voice.

"Stoker!"

"Mikey!"

"12!"

The other three men in the room looked upon the injured engineer with different reactions. Hank Stanley looked ready to kill as he stood up from his seat across the room and began to pace. "You didn't tell me it was _that_ many Stoker," he began to argue, "Jeez Mike you could have been killed!" Roy DeSoto on the other hand was staring up at the engineer with pure concern and worry on his face. "Mike, _12 guys_ , what the heck happened?" Lastly Johnny was staring at his friend too but with some of his trademark amusement despite the severity of the situation, "Oh man," he mused, "Chet is really never going to believe this!"

Mike swallowed roughly and sat himself up against the protest of both Johnny and Roy. "It was Tricia's guys. I know I shouldn't have but I was angry and stupid and thought I could take them. I did put up a fight" he offered Johnny a smile which the younger paramedic returned.

"Oh yeah Mikey, I bet you did! I wouldn't want to mess with you!" Johnny reached for the biophone, "but we should call Rampart and bring you over. I don't like those rib shots or your knee."

Stoker prepared himself to argue but the look from his Captain told him it was useless. If Gage and DeSoto said he had to go to the hospital he was damn well going. "Okay John," he countered instead, "I'll go but I'll drive myself. I don't need an ambulance."

"We still got thirty minutes until shift, how bout I drive you over Mike, while Cap calls in a sub for you."

"Sounds good to me Roy" Hank answered for him as he gave Mike a hand standing up. Together the three men helped the injured fourth into Roy's car. Johnny headed for the backseat while Roy rushed to the front. Hank knelt down towards the passenger's window and gave Mike's shoulder a pat. "I'll feel a lot better once you get check out, okay Pally?" He smiled when Mike nodded. "When you get released call the station and someone will pick you up and we will figure out where we will go from here."

Mike nodded again and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Cap, I don't- I'm not sure what I should do. My son- I can't lose him and she will take him, I know she will." His voice quivered for a second and both Roy and Johnny pretended not to notice. Hank meanwhile squeezed his friend's shoulder a little harder. "Don't think about that now okay, I told you, we will figure it out together." The stoic engineer merely nodded once more. Hank took a step back and motioned for Roy to get going. The senior paramedic gave a short wave and headed the group towards Rampart.

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 **So there you go Chapter 1! I hope everyone likes it! Reviews are always appreciative!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is a short chapter I wrote up quickly, hope everyone enjoys!**

 **I want to thank those that reviewed. I love the constructive criticism so always keep it coming. I will try and work on my tenses, I know I'm bad at that so I apologize for any annoyance that could cause. As for the comment about it being AU, I made a change in the story subject to reflect that and I am sorry for not having it in the beginning. I do believe it is a little AU and I should give everyone a heads up.**

 **As for the cops they will get involved, most likely in chapter 3. I didn't see them calling right away.**

 **Also the biophone comment was a good catch. Completely slipped my mind that they wouldn't have it with the other shift out.**

 **So thanks again to all the readers and reviewers!**

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Chapter 2-

The ride to Rampart was mostly silent for which the injured engineer was most grateful for. There was a lot running through Mike's mind and though he knew he could talk it out with Roy and Johnny, part of him didn't want to address his pressing thoughts out loud.

The last thing he had said to Captain Stanley, about not being able to lose his son, was a weak moment for the man deemed "Stoic Stoker". He adored his son, and despite everything with his wife and all the problems they've had, he would have done everything over again just to keep that little boy in his life. Tricia could've cheated on him all she wanted as long as Mike got to see his son everyday. It was the reason he hadn't left her yet.

Mike knew divorce was more than a reasonable option. As disappointing as it was to come to terms with the fact that his marriage had been destroyed, it was foolish to think that he and Tricia could ever work this out. He also knew he didn't want to work it out. There was no love there, hadn't been for years, and he was ready to move past this all. He just wanted his son at his side.

Custody cases were messy, there was no doubt in Mike's mind. And as nasty and horrible as Tricia was to him, she was a decent enough mother. Yes she brought strange men to the house and probably set a horrible example for little Mikey, but she did love him, even Mike had to admit that and there was no telling if a court would've deemed her a bad parent. Mike, on the other hand, worked numerous 24 to sometimes 48 hour shifts. He worked in dangerous conditions, and even though he was less in the line of fire now that he was an engineer, he was always running a risk as a firefighter. Would a court ever give someone like him full custody? Most likely not and that was too big a risk for Mike to take. He would've gladly taken a beating from Tricia's boyfriend of the week to ensure his son stayed in his life.

So with all this screaming in his head, Mike stayed silent.

* * *

Meanwhile Roy drove the car with one eye on the road and one eye on his passenger. He fought the urge every few seconds to offer some form of comfort or wisdom to help the poor man next to him but he knew it was useless. He had heard Mike's voice crack talking about his son and he knew that that was the only reason Mike was still with Tricia. His words wouldn't make the situation any better, in all honesty it would have probably made it worse by forcing Mike to talk. So he sat in silence, his eyes the only thing to give his unease away.

Johnny, never one to take silence well, tried multiple times to engage his friends in some friendly conversations. He talked baseball, the weather, even discussed Chet's newest prank on him, but everything seemed to fall flat and soon the young paramedic gave up trying.

As they drove through the parking lot of Rampart, Stoker sighed as Roy parked the car as close to the emergency entrance as he could. "Roy you didn't have to park so close. I can walk." he tried to argue.

"Sure Mike, whatever you say" smiled the senior paramedic as he turned off the car and opened the door. He got out quickly helping Mike up, with Johnny rushing over to assist as well.

They were only a few steps into the building when they met a familiar face.

"Well now, you boys can't be on shift, I was just talking to Dwyer and Jones" spoke head nurse Dixie McCall. She took a look at the wounded firefighter between her two favorite paramedics and gasped. "Stoker? Is that you? Well we never see you around these parts unless you're visiting. Are you hurt? What happened?"

"A baseball bat Dix," explained Roy as he helped steer his friend towards the aid station. "We think he might have fractured a few ribs and his right knee."

"I'll call Kel and have him see you in treatment 2." She pointed to the room across the hall. "Go take him in boys" and she went to grab the phone.

"Come on Mikey" urged Johnny, "I'll introduce you to one of my favorite rooms in the hospital."

Mike gave him a curious look, "Oh yeah Gage why is it your favorite?"

John smiled brightly, "Well whenever I'm injured they usually take me to Room 1 or 3. Never been sent to two yet as a patient" he spoke happily causing Mike to smile and shake his head incredulously.

Roy suppressed a laugh, "Oh jeez Junior, at the rate you're going it won't stay that way for long."

Gage pretended to be angry but he couldn't take the smile off his face, "Well Roy I hate to say it but you may be right. I do tend to get myself in a lot of bad situations."

"Well I'd say!" his partner agreed.

"Least you didn't fight 12 guys who had baseball bats" countered their stoic engineer.

Johnny nodded, "Well yeah, haven't done that" he mused, "but you know, the days not over yet." The three men shared a smile as Mike was laid on the examination table. "You just relax Mikey, Brackett will have you fixed up in no time."

Sure enough not thirty seconds later, Dr. Kel Brackett was striding calmly in the room, his face a mixture of concern and professionalism. "Mike Stoker," he began, "not usually the Station 51 crewmember we find on the table." He shot a look at Johnny who held his hands up in a look of innocence. "I know Doc," he shared, "I'm as shocked as you."

Doctor Brackett shared a quick grin then got down to business examining the engineer quickly yet efficiently. "Broken nose for sure" he deduced upon his first minute of examination, "eyes are pretty swollen but it looks to be from the nose not any shots to them. Am I right Mike?" The man on the table nodded. "Hm" the doctor continued as his hands went to Mike's stomach. "I want a chest x-ray, see if any of these ribs splintered. Definitely have at least three broken and probably a few more bruised. Does it hurt to breathe?"

"No, its fine" Mike argued but he could tell no one really believed him.

"I'm sure it feels just _fine"_ Brackett replied sarcastically while handing Mike some oxygen. "Keep this on so you don't strain yourself worse. Now", he moved on to his knee. "Well that's a fractured kneecap if I ever saw one. Damn Stoker, what hit you? A bus?"

Mike tried to take the oxygen mask off but Brackett stopped him, "No these two can tell me, you keep that on." He looked to the two paramedics. "Well" he pushed. Roy looked back at the injured engineer guiltily while Johnny cleared his voice. "Baseball bat, Doc. Stoker fought 12 guys."

Kel looked down at the stoic man in surprise then turned to Roy as if it to get confirmation. "A fight?" he asked, the shock still in his voice as he watched the senior paramedic nod in affirmation. "Well that's not what I would have guessed for you Mike, that's for sure. But don't worry," he patted the man gently on the shoulder, "once those x-rays are done I'll wrap up those ribs and your knee and set that nose. You'll be good as new soon."

"We should head back for shift ourselves right Junior." Roy motioned to his partner, "but we will be in throughout the day okay Mike, and when you get released just give us a call."

"Thanks guys" Mike mumbled through the oxygen mask on his face. The pair gave a smile and a wave then moved to the door to let the x-ray technician take over. Dr. Brackett followed on their heels and headed back to the aid station. When Dixie saw the group she offered a small smile, "How is he boys?"

"He certainly did a number to himself," Brackett announced reaching for a chart. "A fight with baseball bats, doesn't sound like something Mike Stoker would be a part of."

Johnny looked over and nodded, "Couldn't believe it myself Doc. But it's always the quiet ones. Better make sure you tie him down when you reset that nose, or he might deck you". The young man laughed at his own joke, "Stoic Stoker the knock out champ-" He cut off when Roy nudged him in the stomach. "That's enough Junior," the senior paramedic warned Johnny solemnly.

"Roy" asked Dix as she looked over the chart Kel had finished writing in, "Did you want me to call Mike's wife or have you taken care of it?"

"Oh that won't be necessary Dix, she's uh, she won't be coming." Roy turned to see that both Dr. Brackett and Dix gave him a curious look. "They uh- well- it was her new boyfriend's friends that did this to him." The doctor and nurse both kept their professionalism enough to nod in understanding but Roy and Johnny could see some anger in the Rampart workers' faces. It was obvious to everyone that they were especially fond of station 51 and to hear one member was hurt in such a devastating way by a loved one; it was enough to make their blood boil.

Dixie gave a hard grimace, "Thank you for letting me know Roy, I'll make a note that she shouldn't be allowed in his room if she does end up coming."

As she began writing in the chart, Roy reached for her arm gently, "Thank you Dix but can you maybe keep the reason between us, I don't know if Mike wants everyone to know what happened."

The head nurse smile, "Oh course Roy, don't worry."

Johnny meanwhile took a look at the clock and frowned, "Oh man Pally we better get going, we're late for shift."

"Doesn't your captain know where you are?" asked Doctor Brackett as he watched the x-ray technician leave Mike's room.

"Well yeah Doc but that doesn't mean I still won't get latrine duty!"

Roy gave his partner a friendly nudge, "You are already on latrine duty from being late last week."

"Oh man," the young paramedic sighed, "I forgot I am."

Doctor Brackett smiled, "Lateness and forgetfulness seems to be two reoccurring trends for you there Johnny."

"Well if I remembered to set my alarm, then I wouldn't be late."

"Exactly Junior" chided Roy. "Now come on before you make me late." He offered Brackett and Dix a wave and then headed to the outside doors.

"See you guys later" called Johnny as he sprinted to keep up.

"I don't doubt it" agreed Nurse McCall as she saw her two favorite paramedics off.

* * *

 **Once again enjoy! And thank you for all the readers and reviewers**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so as per the reviews I did take my time and really try to edit this chapter to the best of my ability. I do hope you guys can see the effort from the previous chapters compared to this one. I will continue to try my best to eliminate all mistakes before posting but I do appreciate all the readers who still give this story a chance.**

* * *

Captain Stanley paced his office with a renewed vigor. At first when his two paramedics left with his engineer, he had gone to his office to sulk and think. Captain Stanley had called up headquarters and asked for a replacement engineer then stared at the phone willing Roy to call and give him an update. After a few long minutes the phone never rang and Hank, having felt restless, decided to stretch his long legs and walked around his office in silence. Soon a few laps became a few more and the lanky captain fell into a soothing pattern. He was worried, and when Hank was worried he paced. Around and around he walked not even bothering to stop when C-Shift came back from their run and packed up to leave for the day. He offered the leaving Captain a wave but otherwise he continued his steps unfazed. When his two other firefighters arrived at work, Hank gave another short wave and a brisk hello but continued to walk. Marco stood at the door worriedly, clearly having a silent debate with himself on whether or not he should ask the captain what was wrong. When the replacement engineer arrived a few seconds later, Marco cleared his throat; his curiosity was too much to ignore any longer.

"Cap," he began, as he watched his superior continue his pacing "is everything okay with Mike?"

At the sound of his engineer's name, Hank stopped dead in his track. "He needs a shift off" he explained morbidly but oddly flat; something Marco picked up on right away.

"Oh, well, is he alright?" The concern was evident in the younger man's voice though whether it was for the missing engineer or the distraught captain in front of him was anybody's guess.

"Yes- well no- Mike- he came to work today pretty beat up."

"Beat up? Mike? Ay dos mios! Cap what happened?" At this point Chet Kelly had wandered by the office too, his ears catching the last bit of conversation. "Someone beat up Mike, Cap? Who was it? Is he alright? Where are Roy and Johnny? Were they there too?"

Hank raised a hand to silence his men and took a weary seat on top of his desk. "They took him to Rampart," he noticed the worried looks on his men faces and knew they probably mirrored his own. "He's going to be fine guys" he tried to sound convincing but he knew he was failing, "he will miss a few shifts and be back before we know it."

"Who did it to him?" Chet voice was filled with anger and venom as he subconsciously balled his hands into fists.

Captain Stanley debated whether or not to tell his guys knowing it wasn't really his place. Really it should have been Mike to tell them, but with the young engineer in the hospital who knew when he would be able to talk to Chet and Marco. Plus Lopez and Kelly would never be able to go about their shifts without knowing what happened to their friend. It would drive the captain crazy. For his own sanity, and because he knew this men were coming from a place of concern for their station brother, Captain Stanley decided to tell them the truth. "Mike came home to find Tricia with some new boyfriend. There was a tiny altercation and then this new guy called up his friends to beat up Mike with some baseball bats." Hank watched as both his men's eyes grew wide in alarm. "They did a number on Mike- I won't lie but he held his own, or so he says. Not that _that_ makes it any better. But listen guys I need you to be quiet about this. Let Mike be the one who tells you when he's ready."

Both men nodded in understanding but stayed silent. Finally, just as Captain Stanley was ready to clear his throat and tell the boys to get going for the day, Marco looked up. "What did the police say?" he asked wearily.

"Police?"

"Yeah Cap, when Mike called them" Marco looked to his captain in alarm. "He did call them, didn't he?"

Hank looked down ashamed. _The Police! Why didn't he think to call them?_ He cleared the lump in his throat and looked back at his inquiring men. "Well no Marco, he didn't. We were so concerned with getting him checked out… we didn't think-".

"Cap you gotta call them" interrupted Chet impatiently. "Get a restraining order, or better yet call a lawyer and have him get divorce from that witch!"

Marco held up his hand to quiet his partner next to him, "at the very least get the incident on record Cap."

The captain nodded, "you guys are right. I'm going to call Officer Vince. Will you handle the chores until I finish?"

Before the two could answer the temporary Engineer knocked on the office door. "Um excuse me sir but your two paramedics just arrived in the parking lot, should I tell C-Shift's boys they can head out?"

Captain Stanley's eyes lit up, "Yes thank you Smith, and send DeSoto to see me once he is dressed. Chet, Marco, go tell Johnny that roll call will commence in twenty and don't badger him on Mike's condition alright? I'll ask Roy and discuss it with you all later."

All three men nodded to their instructions and left the office. As Hank waited for his senior paramedic to come in, his hand floated over his phone absentmindedly, thinking back to the police conversation. He should have called right from the beginning. As Mike's captain, as his friend, he should have known right away that some sort of report should have been made, hell, Hank spent half his day at work writing reports, it's second nature now. Captain Stanley had let worry impact his judgment and that was a mistake that he couldn't allow to happen again. As much as he wanted to make up for his mistake and call Vince now, Hank ultimately decided to wait until after he heard from Roy to call in the report. He put his hand back down on his desk and stared out his window impatiently. When the door finally opened, Hank watched as his senior paramedic took his time to close it, running down his captain's patience with each additional second. "Roy, thank God. I feel like I've been waiting for hours."

Roy gave a weak smile at his captain's exaggeration and took a seat opposite the desk. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to call, but he was getting x-rays and being admitted when we left. He's in good hands" the paramedic added at the end to offer his captain some reassurance. "Brackett will take good care of him and he will be released probably tonight baring no complications."

"Good, good that's good." Hank stood back up and almost seemed ready to pace again. His senior paramedic watched him carefully but stayed silent. Hank meanwhile continued to mumble. "Okay he's in the hospital so I'll tell Vince to interview him there. That will work. Vince will go there and the report will be done by today."

"Vince?"

Roy's voice interrupted Hank's thoughts and he whirled around to face his man. "Yes Officer Vince. Chet and Marco brought up good points. We should have called the police, had a report filed out."

Roy looked unsure, "Cap you can't call the police."

"The hell I can't Roy, we should have done that from the beginning! The minute I heard about Stoker I should have called the cops. I don't know what I was thinking," he seemed to be going on another tangent, "I should have known better."

"No Cap I get what you're trying to do but that's… well now that not the answer."

Stanley looked confused for a moment, "What do you mean Roy?"

His senior paramedic sighed, "I feel like this is a major situation."

"Yes Pally, it is" Hank enunciated his words as if he was talking to a child, "this is a major situation and that's why we need to go to the cops and make sure that a report is filed and-"

Roy waved him off impatiently and borderline disrespectfully, "No Cap, I mean this is a situation that _Mike_ needs to identify as one where _he_ needs help." He took the same condescending tone as his captain did before. "We can't do this for him."

"Well Roy he's done that, he's come to us for help." Hank crossed his arms protectively over his chest, "the man was beat up by numerous men and is now in the hospital, what's the big deal if we call Vince for him."

Roy shook his head angrily, "but Cap, you're wrong. Mike didn't come to us, he didn't call us. He came to the station and was found, there's a difference. If he had driven to a random parking lot or any other place but here, we'd have never known he needed help. You're his best friend and he didn't even call you. C-Shift did." Roy felt as his anger diffused with worry. "What if they had guns or knives, Cap? What if they beat him so bad he was unconscious or had a head injury? His solution was to just drive his car and sleep it off?"

Hank knew his senior paramedic was right but he still felt defensive, "well what are you saying Roy?"

"I'm saying that Mike needs to know that he needs to look for help in these situations. Sleeping it off is not a viable solution. He needs to call the police, or go to the hospital, or even call one of us. He didn't do any of those things. And you calling Officer Vince for him doesn't solve his problems either Cap." Roy lightened his tone towards the end of his speech as he watched his captains face look guiltier. "I know you're trying to help him Hank" Roy felt a little odd using the captain's name in a work setting but chose not to dwell, "and I know it's easier to think that _doing_ for someone is _helping_ them but it's not in this case Cap. How do we know this is the first time something like this has happened to Mike?" Roy looked at his captain as the senior man pondered the paramedic's words. "We all know the type of person Tricia is. The emotional abuse she has put Mike through all these years but Stoker… damn it Stoker has ALLOWED it to happen. He hasn't done anything to stop it." Roy took a breath, "he just rolled over."

"I wouldn't call it rolling over DeSoto."

Roy grimaced at his captain's tone and knew he had hit a nerve. He held his resolve though and pushed forward, "Mike Stoker is stoic Stoker Cap, he rolls with the punches, nothing seems to faze him, hell he can go three shifts without saying a word. He stayed in this awful marriage-"

"FOR HIS SON" interrupted Hank angrily.

"For whatever reason," countered Roy calmly. "He stayed, he accepted, he allowed it. And now we find him beat to hell and we are all running in circles to help him but he hasn't done anything for himself." The younger man could still see his captain fuming at his words. "Damn it Cap, I'm not saying I don't want to help him, I just want Mike to want the help! Do you see where I'm coming from? Do you see that Mike would have been perfectly content with coming to work today without telling us his knee was fractured or his ribs hurt? What have we missed over the years Cap? What has Mike not told us?"

Hank stared at his fellow firefighter and let his anger dissolve, "You're right Roy. He gave out a breathy sigh, "what would you have me do instead?"

"When Mike gets released later tonight, we can talk to him and let him decide how he wants to proceed. We can nudge him in the direction of calling the police or a lawyer but we can't force him. Mike needs to do this on his own." Roy saw his captain ready to butt in and he held up his hand. "Not completely on his own of course, we will be there for him, but it's time for Mike to stand up for himself and act like the adult he is. If that means divorce then he gets one, if it means restraining order then he does that too. This situation has gotten out of control and if it requires some force to get our friend back on track, then that's our job as his brothers, Cap. We are the only family he's got."

Captain Stanley nodded slowly, "alright, I'll talk to him when he is released. We will… we'll straighten this out. Show Mikey it's time to do something." He gave a shaky laugh, "Christ Roy, this is not how I thought this day would go."

Roy offered a sympathetic smile at his captain. "I know Cap, I know, but we will get him through this." Suddenly the klaxon went off and Roy jumped to his feet as he headed swiftly to the door. "If I head to Rampart I'll give you another update on Mike" he told the older man calmly.

"Thanks Roy, and thanks for the lecture" he gave the senior paramedic, "don't tell the others but you sure ripped me a new one." He gave a slow grin.

"Anytime Cap." Roy offered a genuine smile this time and closed the door soundly on his way out. The minute he left Hank was back up on his feet, pacing with that renewed vigor and renewed worry once more; this was going to be a long day for them all.

* * *

 **I know it may seem I took a bit of a liberty with Roy and made him seem a bit harsher towards the whole situation, but he seems logical to me and most likely out of all the men to realize that calling the police and doing everything for Mike wouldn't actually solve the problem that Mike never sought out help in the first place. Again it's stretch on the character but I don't think it's too outrageous.**


End file.
